Alive for the Job
by Ever Defender
Summary: The story of Todd Hudson, and the one tragic moment that forced him to make a choice. Life... Death... or something Between...
1. Part I

_Disclaimer: I do not own the original book, or MOST of these characters. _

Part I.

I sprinted out of school, three periods early, and hopped into my friend Josh's car. I didn't have time to waste. I put my hand in my jean pocket, my fingers fumbled around old gum wrappers and crumpled dollar bills, hoping the key I had grabbed from him earlier hadn't fallen out.

I emptied the contents of both my pockets onto the car seat. Nothing useful came out. _Crap._ I threw open the glove box, hoping that Josh was stupid enough to leave a key in an unlocked car. Nothing but some old fast food joint napkins, a few sleazy magazines, and a half empty bottle of coke, typical jock. I slammed it closed and began searching the rest of the car.

I figured I'd start with the back. Some more empty soda bottles, a single football cleat, half a cheeseburger long ago forgotten, numerous unidentifiable items, and a picture of him and the mall Santa that couldn't have been more than a year or two old. I'd have to ask him about that one later, when I wasn't in the greatest rush of my life.

Why couldn't male bean sidhes have some useful powers, like oh I don't know, super speed, mind control, maybe a built in key locator? Because I wasn't getting anywhere-except maybe closer to an incurable and unidentifiable disease- searching through this mess of a car. _Damn. _

I sprinted back to the school, planning on checking my gym locker for the key. Hoping, that there would be a lost freshman willing to open the door in exchange for directions. As I approached the door I slowed to a jog, my heart skipping a beat when I see that I have hit the jackpot. A nerdy little freshman boy on his way to the office with his teacher's attendance sheet-suck up. Perfect. Hopefully he wouldn't be too much of goody-two-shoes and would open the door for me, disobeying the sign.

I stopped at the door, a plan already forming in my head to suit this particular situation. I put on my frantic face and began to wave the kid down. Cautiously, he approached the door. "Hello?" He asked through the door, his voice unsure. "Hi, I'm Todd Hudson . Maybe you know my brother Nash. He's a sophomore, like you right?" Give the nerd a compliment, get on his good side. If that doesn't work…pull out the lies.

"Uhm, no sir." Aha, he called me Sir, "I'm only a freshman. I guess that's hard to believe though. Well, anyway, I've heard of him, but I don't really know him. He's on the football team right? I was gonna try out, but I figured they wouldn't be up to my level." Over confident little sucker, I doubted he'd ever thrown a football in his life. "Oh, yeah, of course. Look, would you mind opening the door? I really should be in class." I was getting tired of standing outside when I could be out of the gym and back in the car by now.

"Sorry, I really don't think I should. We're not allowed, and I hardly even know you. But maybe the main office will let you in through the front?" Great, just great. Now I'd have to give him my story and waste even more time, "I would but it was my brother and his football friends who pushed me out here. I'll get killed if I get them suspended before the big game! Please just let me in, I'm already really late to class." My mentioning being late seemed to remind him of his duty, he looked down at the slip in his hand and began to move his hand toward the handle.

"Uhm, yeah. Late. I'd better get going too. So, I guess, given the circumstances, I can let you in. But you owe me." Given the circumstances? I owe him? Who did this kid think he was? But then again, he thought I was just as big a nerd as him. Whatever, what matters is that he finally opened the door. "Look, thanks kid. I don t know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up." I began sprinting off towards the gym. When he called after me, asking for the names of the guys who locked me out so that he could avoid them, I just ignored him. I had wasted enough of my time talking to him.

I picked up speed and whatever doubt he had about me was confirmed when he saw the back of my jacket, a big varsity football logo flashing. Oh well, I was done with my cover anyway, and he would've found out soon enough. I ended up I the locker room in under a minute, with no one but my coach to thank for my speed. I worked my way through the clusters of pitiful shirtless, ab-less, freshman boys. I couldn't see any of them joined the team anytime soon.

So, I made my way to the senior section of the locker room, spun my lock around, putting in my combination, and threw open my locker door. I bean pulling out football equipment rapidly. I had lost all hope when I reached the bottom of my locker. I picked up my shoulder pads , ready to begin throwing everything back in my locker and rush around to check everywhere else I could think of.

Just then, the sun filtered in through the window, bouncing off something small and metal stuck beneath the laces of my left cleat. I dropped my shoulder pads into my locker and grabbed the shoe. Sure enough, stuck between the tongue and the laces, was the key to Josh's 1989 Honda.

I grabbed the key, stuffed it in my pocket, and threw the rest of my gear into my locker. I slammed it shut and sprinted out of the locker room, down the hall, and straight into a very angry freshman on his way back from the office.

"I knew something was up with you! I saw the back of your jacket. How stupid do you think I am? I'm going to tell the principal all about you!" Ooh scary. I rushed past him without even gracing him with a response. He wouldn't do anything. He'd just get himself in trouble for opening the door. Sure, I might get a detention or something, but I was used to that.

I rushed out the door and straight to the car. I threw open the door and sat down at nearly the same seconds. I only had about 30 minutes to make the 25 minute drive to the airport and get to Addy's terminal in time to say goodbye. I would have the hurry.

Even though we had said our goodbyes and officially broken up- we knew that a long distance relationship between glamorous Hollywood and small town Texas would never last- I still wanted to see her one more time, before she became a big star. I liked to think she wouldn't change, and that eventually shed come back to me the same person, but deep-down I knew that was a long shot. She'd never come back. And if she did, she'd be different .

Sure, Addy had always been different. That's what had made her perfect for me, a bean sidhe, the most different person in this school- besides my brother, who was also one. But she was different in a talented, creative way. I was different in a nonhuman way. Of course, she didn't know that. I'm not sure if that would've changed things or not. But that's besides the point now.

I was so deep in my thoughts of Addy, Addison Page- Addison Page Hudson?- that I didn't notice how fast I was driving, how sharp the curve in the road was, or the reaper smiling at me in the rear view mirror from the back seat. I was lost in these thoughts when Josh's Honda flipped over while taking the curve, and was smashed in the side by an oncoming semi, causing the engine, and the rest of the car, to explode. Lost in these thoughts was how I died, sort of.

_NOTE: part II was lost in a computer error of some sort. if anyone wants it, ill retype it and upload. r2r. thanks for reading. :D_


	2. Part II

A/N: Here's part two, to satisfy the request I got. Enjoy. Review?

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Soul Screamers Series. Darn.

When I woke up I was standing in largest, emptiest, creepiest building ever. And that's the only way I can describe it. The only reason I knew there were walls or even a ceiling was because of the painful, ear shattering echo that came with each step, each breath I took. I looked around me through the gray haze I knew only existed in one place, the netherworld. My mom had told me and my brother about this place, warned us of it and its dangers. Yet I had never actually visited, sure I had peeked in, but that was different. I couldn't get to the netherworld without a female bean-sidhe. And my mother refused, fervently. So naturally, I decided to explore.

There was so much I didn't know about this place, so much that I had always wanted to learn. Was the moon really red? How sharp was razor-wheat? How badly was everything disproportioned? Did it really look like someone had put the world in a blender and hit frappe? It seemed I had all these answers before me, I couldn't be hurt right? I mean hadn't I just died, what could they do to me now…besides steal my soul and torture it for eternity, but I was pretty sure it was even to late for that. It didn't make sense to me why I had ended up here, weren't all souls-except those lost in transit *shudder*-supposed to be recycled? Yet, it didn't matter, all my answers were just steps away-if I could ever find the door to this place-or so I thought.

Just as I began taking my first steps towards escape a woman appeared across the room from me. She smiled slowly and I immediately recognized her as the reaper who had appeared in the back seat of Josh's-probably now totaled, he'd be pissed-car, the one who had taken my life, my soul. But that didn't bother me. I knew that it was only her job, my name had been on her list, my time was up and there was no arguing that. What bothered me were the first words she said. "You've passed all your tests." "What?" I knew she hadn't brought me here just to let me know I'd passed my calculus test-I probably didn't- what was the point in that? But then it clicked, my brain barely had the chance to process the new realization when she confirmed it, "Your reaper tests. You're a bean-sidhe right? You should know all about this…" I couldn't believe this, "I thought you reapers hated us, why would you guys want me to want one of you?" Her reply came quick, "Ah yes. Our kinds don't get along well, especially not when you interrupt our schedule. And now that you're one of us, you wouldn't want to do that, would you? It wouldn't be in your best interest if you plan on keeping your job. And you know what a reaper's lost job mean right?" Of course I knew. Reapers are technically already dead, the job keeps them alive. So for a reaper, a lost job also means a lost life, their own. Harsh right?

"So what, I'm supposed to be some crazy bean-sidhe slash reaper thing now?" "Sure, you could call it that if you want. But it's not crazy, talented is the word I would use." That shocked me, "Talented?" "Of course. I would explain our reasoning further, but I should probably get you to your boss now." Joy. A reaper is my new boss. Won't my mom be proud? NOT. But I guess it'll make my death easier on her if I'm still around. Weird, huh? "Ohkay, take me too your leader." "How cute…yet perhaps you're too cute. I never imagined meeting a reaper that looks almost like cupid." Cupid? But she did say cute right? So maybe that's a good thing… "Ahem!" She cleared her throat loudly, regaining my attention. "Oh, right. Gotta go meet the boss. How do we get there?" She let out a short amused laugh and disappeared. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about reapers, but I guess I still have a lot left to learn…but wait, CUPID? I really hope that doesn't become a nickname. A bean sidhe slash reaper called cupid? I don't think so. Hmm, maybe I should figure out how to poof outta here and catch up with the reaper chick.


End file.
